Traps 3: The Beginning of Dysfunction
by J.C. Thomas
Summary: At the end of Traps 2 we were left with a missing Rogue and a powerless Allana... can things get any more complicated? Throw in a girl with repressed memories, an estranged parent, and a dude with multiple personalities... yes they can...
1. Chapter 1

A new year a new Traps... thanks be to Jess who's muse helped my muse to reappear... She wrote this chapter and I'll continue on with sequential chapters... we'll see how this is recieved.

**Traps 3: The Beginning of Dysfunction**

Chapter One

Two hours had passed since Jasper had received a message on her phone from Todd asking her to come over to the Brotherhood house after school. The message worried her more after taking notice that Allana didn't show up at school and that Scott and Peitro hadn't been seen since before second period. At lunch she persuaded Tobias to let her use his car and to get a ride home from whoever at the manor was picking them up that day. Despite his efforts she wouldn't give him a reason why. She hated keeping things from him but she didn't think he would understand if he knew the message was from her ex-boyfriend. Ten minutes after school let out she was pulling into the driveway of the rundown house that the brotherhood lived in. Todd opened the door before Jasper reached the top step of the porch.

"Where is she?" Jasper asked looking past Todd, into the house. Allana told Jasper where she was going when she left the night before. Jasper almost went with her, angry that the Professor couldn't just read Allana's mind and know that it wasn't her that said those things to Rogue. Allana convinced her to stay promising to see her the next day.

"They went to the Bat Cave, I think." Todd answered nervously, letting Jasper into the house.

"They? What do you mean, 'they'?" Jasper asked looking around as Todd closed the door.

"Yo… man… see… this is what happened. I mean…see… Allana didn't go to school today so Peitro made me stay with her. I know…she hates me. But I guess no one else wanted to do it. So, then Allana left despite my efforts to make her stay…she would have killed me if I got in her way. That was this morning. Half an hour later Peitro and Scott show up looking for her…yeah Scott. I thought it was weird, too. Anyways, Peitro asked a bunch of questions about when she left and if left with anything and stuff like that. But... yeah it thought it was weird that Scott was skipping school to look for Allana so I thought it was serious and I called you." Todd let out an exhausted sigh after spitting out an explanation Jasper almost found hard to comprehend. She then smiled at the dirty little boy.

"Thanks." Jasper responded giving him a hug. Just then the door flew open, revealing Lance standing in the doorway with a confused look on his face.

"You guys aren't back together are you?" Lance asked. I shook my head as Todd pulled away and disappeared to his room mumbling something about it being a weird day. Lance only shrugged as he plopped down on the couch and turned on the T.V. Dante followed behind him but Jasper grabbed his arm and pulled him back outside pushing past Fred and Tabitha.

"We gotta go." She said as she got into the car and unlocked his side. Dante barely closed the door before Jasper pulled out of the driveway. When she looked over to him she saw what looked like fear in his eyes as he pulled on his seatbelt. She handed him her cell and told him to call the Bat Cave. He obeyed. He held the phone to his ear for a moment before closing the phone and responding with:

"No answer."

"Shit." So many things were going through her head as she raced through traffic. If Allana was at the Bat Cave this time of day it would only mean one thing. Rogue wouldn't cooperate at this point, but what if it could work. Jasper knew her sister too well. Allana would sacrifice herself if she knew she could make this work. If she was at the Bat Cave she was with Cameron. If they couldn't test it on Rogue she would test it on herself. Jasper had to get there before Cameron…

"Call Cameron, he's in my phone book." Again Dante obeyed. He held the phone to his ear, then asked:

"What's going on?" It took Jasper a while to realize that Dante was speaking to her.

"Allana." She answered as though that explained everything. Her mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts. Thoughts about the car accident that made her an orphan at the age of five. She couldn't lose her sister too.

"She stayed at our place last night. She didn't want to go to school today." Dante replied plainly, trying to cover any worries that Jasper might have had about her sister.

"She left your place this morning. Peitro and Scott were looking for her. Two guys who are fighting over the same girl. Scott doesn't even like Allana. Something is going on."

"No Answer." Dante replied closing her phone. "Allana is probably just at the…"

"Bat Cave," Jasper finished his sentence as she made a sharp turn into the parking lot, slamming her foot on the breaks, parking in no general spot. Dante's head almost kissed the glove compartment before flying back against the passenger seat.

"I will never ride with you again." Dante commented. Jasper shook her head and got out of the car.

"You stay here. If there's no sign of me or Allana in 5 minutes then call the Professor. The mansion's number is in my phone book." She ordered before walking away from the car. She heard Dante call out to her but she ignored him. She ran towards the door of the club. Her heart was pounding. She didn't feel like she was going fast enough. As she turned the knob on the door she said a silent prayer. Allana, please be alright. She opened the door and walked inside. With the windows covered and the lights out the place was very dark. The place seemed empty but she could sense someone inside. The person's scent was faint but familiar. It wasn't Allana. She wasn't here at all. Neither was Cameron, Peitro, or Scott. They were here before but they weren't now.

She started to leave but she sensed more than one person there. She walked further into the room, trying not to bump into the tables. She could hear sounds in the back. Hushed whispers. She could barely catch their scent- they were too far away. She could only tell that there were two of them. One scent seemed strangely familiar almost like…

Suddenly, another scent came at her. The first one. It was stronger now. Closer. He was in the same room as her now. His scent was so familiar. She couldn't place it but she knew this person. She knew she feared him. He was coming closer. He knew she was there. She had to get out of there but she couldn't move. She was scared. She couldn't move and he was coming closer. Run! She ordered herself. Run. Her feet started moving and she headed towards the light from outside that outlined the door.

_Just make it to the door and you'll be home free,_ she thought to herself. She tried to focus, to clear her head and maneuver herself in the dark. But her mind was clouded with who this person was and why his presence made her want to crawl into a corner and cry.

"Ashley." His voice called in a low, taunting tone. Part of her wanted to stop dead in her tracks at the familiarity of the voice that haunted her nightmares as a child and the name she hadn't heard in just as long, the other part of her said to keep running. The mental tug-of-war resulted in her stumbling over her feet and the side of her face hitting a table.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" He continued. Jasper looked up realizing she landed right in front of the door. She scrambled to her feet and felt the door for the knob. Once she found it she flung the door open but before she could take a step she felt a hand wrap around her neck as she was pulled backwards. She tried to call out for Dante before the door slammed behind her. He lifted her into the air and tightened his grip on her neck. All she could see was his fierce glowing eyes as she struggled to breathe.

"Hello Ashley."

Dante repeated the pattern of looking from the Bat Cave door where Jasper disappeared to the time on Jasper's phone that she had left with him. _You're worried aren't you? _ A voice popped into his head. He tried to ignore it, focusing on the time on Jasper's phone. _You are so pathetic. You saw how panicked Jasper was. Allana could be in some kind of danger and here you are sitting in a car checking the time. You have no chance what so ever with…_

"Shut up_." _He said as he looked up to see Jasper, halfway out the door with a look of fear in her eyes and panic on her face, before she was pulled back into the building and the door closed. He would have missed it being so distracted with the voice in his head. Going down the list of names on Jasper's phone he selected one and called it. When someone answered on the other end he responded with three separated words:

"Tobias…Dante…Bat Cave." He then hung up and got out of the car. _What are you gonna do? _The voice questioned in his head as he walked towards the club. _You gonna save the damsel in distress? You gonna kick open the door, say something witty, and save the day? _Dante tried to shake the voice as he reached the door. _How are you gonna do it? You don't even know what's in there and worst of all, you don't know how to fight. _Trying to ignore the voice he turned the door knob and opened the door. He looked into the darkness for a second before reaching in and flipping on the light. He looked around the room before his eyes landed on Jasper lying half-conscious on the floor against the far wall. She had blood coming from her for head and lip and bruises on her arms and face. He could feel anger filling every crevice of his being as his eyes went from Jasper to a tall beastly looking man standing in the center of the room. _Sabertooth. _The voice in his head sneered. Sabertooth turned to Dante with a smug grin.

"You gonna just stand there or are you gonna join me?" he asked. _While you were in the car doing nothing Jasper was getting her ass kicked. Now the same is going to happen to you. You can't take him on your own. You know what you gotta do. _Dante looked over to Jasper who had closed her eyes and slipped fully into unconsciousness. _She shouldn't have to see this anyways. _The voice confirmed as Dante turned his glare back to Sabertooth.

"If you ain't gonna join me then you're gonna have to fight me." Sabertooth responded to Dante's glare. _You know what you gotta do. _A rare smile appeared on Dante's face as he took his hair out of its usual ponytail.

"Gladly." a voice came from Dante's mouth that wasn't his own. "I've been waiting for this all night."


	2. Chapter 2

A cell phone rang and everybody turned to it's source… Cameron. Logan reached into his pocket and pulled it out just in time for the call to be missed.

"Why the hell is Jasper calling you," he growled.

Allana rolled her eyes, "He's our manager."

"Why is your manager performing genetic experiments on you," Dr. McCoy asked.

"I'll explain it when we get back, for now we need to get to the Bat Cave," she hoisted herself off the table and onto the floor.

"Sit down!"

Immediately she hoisted herself back on the table, she may have been defiant, but she knew better then to mess with a pissed off Logan.

Car doors slammed over head and she breathed a sigh of relief with the knowledge at least she had allies home. Jasper would vouch for Cameron. But when Tobias came into the lab sans Jasper and looked surprised to see her, she knew something was wrong.

"You're here," Tobias asked, "Jasper's been freaking out all day, I told her you'd come home eventually."

"Where is Jasper," she hopped down and went to him, stuffing her shaking hands in her pockets as to hide her growing fear.

"She borrowed my car, what's going on?" Before she could explain anything his phone rang.

Allana couldn't hear the other end of the conversation, but Tobias's end was short, "Jasper where… Dante what… Wait..." And the dial tone rang loudly. He shut the phone, "She's at the Bat Cave."

"Lets go," Scott tugged Pietro with him out of the lab and Tobias followed suit. Allana made to go after them but was stopped by Logan's compact form stepping in her way.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Logan, I don't have time to argue, I have to go with them."

"You're in no condition—"

She cut him off "With or with out your permission I'm going, Jasper might be in trouble."

"You don't have any powers," Dr. McCoy reminded.

"Logan, you know me better than that, you know I can fight."

He didn't say anything, but moved out of her way and she ran out just in time to catch the elevator up.

"You didn't think you were leaving with out me, did you," she shoved hair out of her face, making a mental reminder to get it cut soon.

"There was a time not so long ago when life was a lot quieter," Scott sighed.

"Think about it this way… you're never bored," she rushed out as the wall door that hid the elevator opened and bypassed the growing crowd of curious teenage mutants at her return.

So she was never going to be voted Most Popular in Mutant's Anonymous Superlatives, but at least they could stop staring at her. Oh yeah… Mystique.

"X-Jeep keys," Scott said to Tobias as they passed the key rack, he tossed them to Scott. "I'm driving," he said before an argument could be made, "The Jeep will go fast enough."

Allana took up shot gun and said loud enough for only Scott to hear, "I'm scared."

"I know," he tweaked the sleeve of his sweater she'd pulled back on.

As promised they made it in record time, with the encouragement of Allana making him run any red lights they came across.

From the outside, there looked to be nothing wrong… except that almost all the windows had been blown out by something. Bursting through the door the Bat Cave was in total chaos. Tables and chair had been thrown across the room and glass from the over hanging lights littered the floor. Jasper lay limply against a wall and Dante with his dark hair out of its usual pony tail leaned over her trying to revive her.

"Get away from her," Scott said automatically.

Dante looked at him with a mutinous glare before grazing his gray eyes on her coming through the door.

"Are you kidding," she shoved Scott away as she ran toward her fallen half-sister and her friend. "Jasper," she cradled her battered body close against her chest trying to keep from crying thankful she was indeed still breathing.

"Allana, you're okay," was all he said with relief, it was the most emotion she'd ever seen from him.

"What happened here?" Pietro asked stepping over a table to move aside for Tobias to get to his girlfriend.

"Sabertooth," Dante said his eyes still on Allana.

"But, Sabertooth's gone…"

"Think about it, Maximoff," Allana cut her eyes to him, "Mystique is back, why wouldn't Sabertooth be?"

"Because, Blade, we're the Brotherhood, if we're not cut in… who the hell is?"

"Stop," Dante cut in, "Argue later."

"I'll go check the back," and Pietro was gone and back long before she could blink, "No one's here."

"What about the cure," Scott asked.

"The room is trashed… nothing left."

"Jasper needs help," Tobias reached out for Jasper, but Allana yanked her out of reach.

"He's right," Allana tried to rise and cradle Jasper at the same time, but nearly stumbled under the weight unprepared for the weakness she felt. Tobias took her form before Allana was able to try again.

"I got her, okay. Let's just get back to the mansion." Scott and Pietro followed him out leaving Allana alone with Dante.

"I'm in so much trouble," she said trying to keep her voice steady.

"Not the first time," he said behind her.

She gave a short laugh, how could he be so calm in the obvious destruction that lay around them, it amazed her. Wishing only she could be so calm right now.

A tear slid down her face as she realized just how useless she felt, wiping it away defiantly with the sleeve of Scott's oversized sweater she turned to Dante who was yanking his hair back into his ponytail.

"Don't cry," he waited for her to start walking before he followed. Pulling open the door for her she smiled at him. The corners of his mouth quirked up only slightly in an almost imperceptible smile, but she appreciated it just the same.

He watched as Dante stayed protectively close to Allana, but never once touched her, almost as if he was afraid of scaring her away. If only he could be so patient with Rogue.

Scott slowly put the car in gear, but on the inside he was shaking. Right under his nose his team mates were being hurt and there seemingly wasn't anything he could do about it.

Rogue was missing and he had a hard time keeping his anger down for not listening to Allana when she said the first time that Mystique was back. Maybe if he'd just gotten past his petty feud with her none of this would have happened. Hell, he thought, maybe Allana wouldn't have gone looking for a cure in the first place if it hadn't been for this competition between him and Pietro. She'd just wanted to help.

Allana pulled herself into the seat beside him and Dante gestured that he would be taking Tobias's car back. She gazed back longingly at Jasper before telling him to drive.

He obeyed, not bothering to remind her of the seat belt she'd neglected to put on.


	3. Chapter 3

Dante pulled up beside them in Tobias's car seconds after Scott had pulled the keys from the X-Jeep and took his post by Allana, their comical convoy traveled down the halls of the mansion. The younger kids scattered at the sight of Jasper's trampled body and two Brotherhood members as well as Allana's reappearance.

Logan met their parade down taking Jade and motioning for Dante and Allana to follow. Tobias kicked the wall as they disappeared into the hidden elevator.

"Calm down, Tobias, he just needs to get to the bottom of this."

Tobias gave another mighty kick to the paneled wall, but rested his hands there, refusing to look at either of them. "Sod off, Scott. My girlfriend just get royally beaten by Sabertooth and you're expecting me to stay calm?"

Scott sighed and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, a habit he'd seemed be picking up from Allana. "Unfortunately that's not our only problem, Rogue's missing."

"Not to mention your girlfriend's sister has decided that maybe her time would be better spent not being a mutant," Pietro muttered though his normal sarcastic tone sounded weak.

Tobias finally turned to Scott, "The cure they've been going on about?"

"You know about it?"

"Between those two you can learn pretty much whatever you want to know… and stuff you don't," he almost laughed, but caught himself, "How long has Rogue been missing?"

"At least a couple hours, that's when we came back from the Bat Cave to find her gone," Scott said rather tiredly.

Tobias yelled a few colorful curses making any younger mutant who may have been eavesdropping to think better of it. Jean came around the corner to investigate the ruckus and stopped short when she saw Pietro.

"What's going on here?"

"I'll explain later right now when is the Professor getting back?"

She closed her eyes to concentrate, "He's on his way with the new recruit."

"I haven't heard anything about a new recruit."

"You've been preoccupied."

That hung between them for a beat of silence.

"He and Ororo should be back tonight," with that she walked past them.

Now Scott felt like kicking something. Jean had always been his best friend. This past week he'd been so caught up he'd barely registered her existence. Guilt was a complicated matter, having been so involved with the Rogue-Pietro drama, not to mention Allana's bizarre behavior; this short week had changed everything.

Now that his adrenaline had taken a dive he turned to Pietro and barely grasped why a member of the Brotherhood was there.

Tobias too seemed confused of the circumstances of which they'd been acting almost as one unit since they'd found out Allana wasn't where she was supposed to be.

That was when it hit him full force. They were only kids. The feud between the houses had to do with the adults; it been null for almost four months with the disappearance of Magneto, Sabertooth, and Mystique. No wonder everyone thought him crazy for trying to keep them separate.

At least until Rogue was found the uneasy alliance he and Pietro had would stick.

Allana stroked Jasper's hair as they rode down the elevator to where The Danger Room, the Hospital Wing, and Cerebro were hidden.

Dr. McCoy immediately went about cleaning and stripping Jasper down and into loose clothes. After that he went about attaching electrodes to monitor her vitals. Allana watched all this with detached fascination and forced her nausea down at the glimpse at some of the deeper wounds. After he was done Jasper barely looked human.

She grabbed for Dante, needing his solid form, whether or not he offered any support had never been the question. She didn't really want him to comfort her, sometimes trying to make things better only made them worse. It was probably why she liked him so much. What she should have connected with was his black t-shirt, but found he'd been yanked back by Logan.

"No!"

"We need to talk," Logan said.

"He didn't do anything," she bit back tears she'd been fighting.

"He's the only conscious witness; I would think you of all people would want this."

"But he's my friend," she nearly chocked on the words but the door slammed where they'd disappeared. "He wouldn't do this to me," she tried to launch a tornado but as before nothing happened. Collapsing in a chair she forced off her boots off and tucked her knees under Scott's sweater.

Dr. McCoy silently worked at his table letting her fume. After a while the aura of anger seeped away and left only the smell of salty tears that now streaked her pained face. When he felt it safe to talk he turned to her.

"You're still a mutant," he reassured, "but I don't know when your x-gene will become dominant again. Could be a manner of hours, could be a manner of days."

She nodded, "Where's Cameron?"

"In a closest somewhere waiting for his turn."

She shook her head, "Does nothing I say matter."

"Allana," he said attending to her sister and then slowly started to examine her face. The normally dark green orbs a violent emerald due to the residual tears that she now refused to allow flow any longer or at least while he was watching, and whatever mixture of chemicals she'd only hours ago willfully injected into herself. "These are just precautions, nothing more. Now, I need to check on the other students, do you want to come?"

Again she shook her head, "I'm just going to stay here with her."

He left and there they were alone in the cold, white room.

"It's just you and me, sis," she said to Jasper's unconscious form. She curled herself into the warmth Scott's sweater permeated resting her head against her knees. Wiping away her tears stubbornly and hating that she'd cried in front of someone and over something she had caused.

Thing's were not looking bright from where she was sitting. All her actions, the lying, the sneaking out, they always led to one thing… sent away. It was either that or she left. She'd tested the Professor's patience for her short stay of a month and a half and knew that the only reason he put up with was because of her relation to Jasper.

Jasper actually got along with everyone, Jasper who had actively participated in X-Men battles and had a uniform. Jasper who knew when to quit while she was ahead, unlike her no good older by three months half-sister who knew when to quit, but ignored the indication because she thought she knew better. Yes, she'd tested his patience alright. Down to the elasticity point and now it was thoroughly possible she'd broken the last strand of trust that he may have had for her. Where would she go if the Professor kicked her out? Would she go back to the streets? Without her powers and with 'the cure' leaving her weaker than she'd ever felt before there'd be no way she'd survive like she had.

The Brotherhood, maybe? No, despite her friendship with Pietro and Dante and overall fondness/tolerance she felt for the others, she knew that it was no place for her. It was already crowded to begin with and as much as she didn't fit in with the X-Men, she fit in less with their rag-tag team.

Breathing in hard to hold back a sob, now was not the time to feel self-decrepitating, not with her sister lying there barely alive. But the breath brought in a new scent, one that overpowered the strong anti-septic that consumed the air. Scott's smell, of soap and sweat and that aftershave that he insisted upon wearing and she normally hated. Now, acutely aware that she still wore his sweater and felt somewhat disgusted with herself and moved to take it off. At the last second she changed her mind and settled into the sleeves that enveloped her arms.

"At least his after shave is more tolerable than hospital stench," she rationalized to no one in particular and rested like that for a long time.


End file.
